A Baratheon Princess' Story AU
by OcarinaSapphire24
Summary: A somewhat alternate world, in which Cersei's first child is not her 'golden prince'- but a raven-haired, blue-eyed princess: Cassiah Baratheon.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note** **:** The kernel of this story, its' inspiration comes from YouTube's BABYLIBBY96 - I **loved** the idea; I had had thoughts of my own swirling for a while, quite similar- and seeing this just seemed to cement them.

If you want to see the clip which inspired me: watch?v=S6E8lcNBRCw

They did say it wasn't for a fan-fic of theirs, so... I hope my little work does them justice.

Notes on the ages of the children: Cassiah Baratheon, the eldest child- Almost 17

[the ones Cersei aborted (book)/ 'lost' when very young (show), were also true Baratheons]

Joffrey's not long 16 - Myrcella, 11 - Tommen, 7

I did a bit of research to work out the timeline; Robert took the throne in 283- he and Cersei married sometime in 284, so I put Cassiah's birth in early 285. Cersei's convinced Joffrey was conceived when she (and Jaime) was with Robert, visiting his uncles on Estermont, the same year- it's unlikely that Cersei, as a noblewoman, and someone conscious of her figure, was breastfeeding- though it's not guaranteed, it has been said to act as a primitive form of birth control.

I did have the idea in my mind from the start, to make Cassiah the eldest, however, I didn't want to get schooled by someone saying it was impossible, so I actually Googled: How soon after giving birth, can you conceive again? Apparently, pretty quickly- as soon as you recover from childbed and have your next cycle.

Forgive any remaining mistakes- I am only human.

 **Prologue -** The Baratheon Princess

When they held the newborn up for her- and she saw the jet-black birth down, Cersei swore to herself that she'd smother the babe, as soon as strength returned to her- she'd not let issue of that whoremonger who _still_ desired a dead girl over her, live... But when the midwife then cried out in amazement, that the newborn had opened **green** eyes, not the blue that babies were usually born with; she couldn't help but wonder if the baby could still be hers and Jaime's- they **had** slept together the morn of her wedding, and despite the history of so many golden lions, Tyrion had a streak of black hair amongst his pale blond, so perhaps...

Jaime never assumed for a moment that she wasn't. "What shall you name her?"

"Joanna, perhaps? For Mother."

"Taliah- for the sister we lost," Jaime suggested.

"Cassana," slurred a third voice. It was Robert at the door- and he had dragged a good dozen strung rabbits, hares and partridges with him.

"Good hunting, Your Grace?" Jaime asked, not caring one way or the other.

"Good enough- nothing big, though."

"It could have been worse," Renly, the King's youngest brother replied mildly.

Despite despising the entire Baratheon clan, it still amazed Cersei how similar Renly looked to Robert - he was of a far slighter build, but that face… it was a face she now hated, but once- once she believed she _could_ love him, til he had shattered the pleasant fiction so brutally- with one word...

"I'm sure it could have," Jaime replied. "New cloak, Renly? Green- excellent colour for you. The working looks to be of the Reach- I hear they do very fine."

"A name-day gift, from my foster family."

Turning back to his sister and her drunk husband, before striding over to the midwife who held the child- who was likely his, Jaime said, "What about Cassiah? Combining your late mother's name, with that of our deceased sister."

"Cassiah Baratheon," Robert repeated with a slur.

Renly added his own view, as he walked over to the Kingslayer. "There are worse names to have, brother. Princess Cassiah Baratheon," he repeated, as he ran a slender finger along her cheek and watched with bemusement as she smiled at him.

 **Note** : There's nothing in the histories to say Joanna ever had more than the three children- nor is there anything to say she didn't. I elected to give them a short-lived sibling before Tyrion.


	2. Chapter 2 - Growing Pains

**Growing Pains**

And so it was – a son and heir to the throne followed not long after, in Joffrey- Cersei was sure she and Jaime had created him during their stay on Estermont, the home of Robert's mothers' kin- something she'd always felt was particularly delicious; he was born with hair of Lannister gold – unfortunately though, Cersei had suffered a difficult pregnancy with him, hardly able to bestir herself for all the energy he took- and she laboured for over a day and a half, in order to bring him into the world- in the height of summer, where she'd practically **lived** in her bathing chamber, after the fifth month, whereas the later Myrcella and Tommen would be carried and delivered with deceptive ease- but Tommen had been small for his size and Myrcella, like her sister, had been carried high and was less burdensome.

Yet she would dote devotedly upon her 'golden prince', hoping, in time, he would be Jaime's mirror- and the heralding of a glorious and golden future for Westeros.

Cersei had given herself a greater period of rest between her younger children, carefully aborting or otherwise ridding herself of all those she suspected were of Robert's seed- and eventually ensuring she would not even conceive by him.

Though Robert himself favoured her icy bed, less and less over the years- only being pulled to it, when she'd already gotten herself with child by her brother- unbeknownst to him.

While she loved no one other than Jaime and her children- there was something that she felt distanced her from Cassiah, that did not seem to exist with Myrcella.

She couldn't explain it, but for the recurring feeling that she was half-Baratheon, in truth- not just in name. Though it would be more than this vague feeling, in years to come. 

Jaime's feelings toward her were unreserved. While he deliberately did not give his children any real attention- mostly due to Cersei's paranoia over the truth being revealed through some careless slip, he found- to his surprise, that from a young age, Cassiah sought him out, almost as much as Myrcella and Tommen did Tyrion.

He was somewhat flattered by her attention and rather enjoyed time spent with her- yet he tried to feel no more than the fact that liked his 'niece' immensely.

But, while Myrcella had Cersei's looks, Cassiah had something else: yes, she possessed lovely features and would grow into a great beauty.

However, she was also spirited- temperamental, at times- yet basically sweet natured. She was also strong-willed, and not at all like the usual Court flowers flopping about- and never could anyone be in doubt, that she was a princess.

Cassiah was all that any man could have wished for in a daughter - and Jaime couldn't dare admit that what he felt was actually **fatherly pride** – after having become 'the Kingslayer', he couldn't afford to be anything else.

It would hurt too much, if he should lose it; so, he let Robert and Tyrion be as a father to them- and Cersei mothered them.

Yet he couldn't help the growing feeling of dread, for what he saw Joffrey was becoming- behaviour that struck him over the years, as far too much like the Mad King.

But Cersei would hear nothing of it, not from anyone- not even he - even when Robert had broken two of his baby teeth, after he'd **_cut open a pregnant cat_**. She had just dismissed it as 'curiosity'. Jaime called it cruelty- and he'd spent enough time around cruel men to know. 

Somehow, Myrcella and Tommen seemed to be as different from Joffrey as gold from dross- and he thanked the gods for it, if they listened- or even cared.

He watched his little golden girl and boy grow; handsome and sweet, charming and kind, intelligent and thoughtful- and at the back of his mind, he wished he could tell them how proud he was of them.

His presence in their lives was always going to be limited: guard and 'uncle'- it was all he was allowed; all Cersei would allow – all he could allow himself. Yet, somehow, with Cassiah, he got more.

She sought him out as an attendant and guard when she went shopping, or riding- and even if Robert had wanted Jaime to be a glorified doorman when he was disporting himself with some woman or other- he could never say no to the apple of his eye; she had received a pony the same time as Joffrey, simply because she had asked her 'father'- she was allowed to enter the city, despite (or perhaps, because of) Cersei's furious refusal- of course she had been closely chaperoned, and limited to the better quarters- yet it had struck courtiers as remarkable, all the same – she was taught how to shoot a crossbow, which pleased her kingly father- though she had no taste for bloodsport - and Syrio Forel of Braavos, was giving her 'water-dancing' lessons.


End file.
